theatricalize

verb

the·​at·​ri·​cal·​ize thē-ˈa-tri-kə-ˌlīz How to pronounce theatricalize (audio)
theatricalized; theatricalizing

transitive verb

1
: to adapt to the theater : dramatize
2
: to display in showy fashion
theatricalization noun

Examples of theatricalize in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Dance and history and race and loss tempered with hope — what a subject for a musical this would be, if only Paradise Square had managed to theatricalize it. Helen Shaw, Vulture, 3 Apr. 2022 For some, the humor likely will be cathartic, for others highly uncomfortable, but that clearly is intentional on the part of the artists and, to my mind, a legitimate way to theatricalize the didactic point that this playwright wants to make. Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 12 Sep. 2022 Instead, Zimmerman had somehow found a way to theatricalize the elliptical jottings of a famed Renaissance artist: a series of eccentric, first-draft musings that even the author claimed had no innate cohesion. Chris Jones, chicagotribune.com, 23 Feb. 2022 The big paintings theatricalize stages of adolescent amour—resisted seduction, furtive intimacy, triumphant union, and subsequent nostalgia—among young people at court who were given nothing to do in life except to dress up and to play at love. Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 8 Feb. 2021 The actors often over-theatricalize their exchanges, leaving little room to register the interior blips and bumps occurring between words. Charles McNulty, latimes.com, 24 Apr. 2018 Their feverish exertions, gasps and yelps theatricalize a common plight. Charles McNulty, latimes.com, 19 Feb. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'theatricalize.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1778, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of theatricalize was in 1778

Dictionary Entries Near theatricalize

Cite this Entry

“Theatricalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/theatricalize. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

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